Some back ground...
Nearly all of our snowboarding is in the back country rather than doing laps within a resort lift system. If off-piste conditions are excellent within a resort then we go for it. Otherwise our riding is either a peaceful day touring well away from resort boundaries, or, an objective-driven ascent and descent of a significant peak or steep couloir. This is my main game from which I get a lot of satisfaction.
In certain terrain and snow conditions, snowboards are not the best tool for touring nor the best for riding. Picking up skiing is good fun and I will write about the events along that road as well. As we continue to develope as alpinists, skiing as a tool for long distance exploration and technical descents will become very useful.
Not all back country hikes and descents that we have done in the past are listed here, however the key routes have been included along with some memorable days. As more tours are completed they will be added, so long as they are not an uneventful repeat of a frequently visited area.
My to-do list is much bigger than listed above. There are loads of tours, peaks and couloirs that I want to do. The places listed below are the ones that I have started to collect some beta on. As we tour around I am always looking out for the chance to take a picture of an approach or actual descent line of the things on this list, my near term goals.
Some Chamonix entries will have a numbered reference to the corresponding tour in the Mont Blanc guide book by Anselme Baud. See herefor more info.
Nearly all of our snowboarding is in the back country rather than doing laps within a resort lift system. If off-piste conditions are excellent within a resort then we go for it. Otherwise our riding is either a peaceful day touring well away from resort boundaries, or, an objective-driven ascent and descent of a significant peak or steep couloir. This is my main game from which I get a lot of satisfaction.
In certain terrain and snow conditions, snowboards are not the best tool for touring nor the best for riding. Picking up skiing is good fun and I will write about the events along that road as well. As we continue to develope as alpinists, skiing as a tool for long distance exploration and technical descents will become very useful.
Not all back country hikes and descents that we have done in the past are listed here, however the key routes have been included along with some memorable days. As more tours are completed they will be added, so long as they are not an uneventful repeat of a frequently visited area.
My to-do list is much bigger than listed above. There are loads of tours, peaks and couloirs that I want to do. The places listed below are the ones that I have started to collect some beta on. As we tour around I am always looking out for the chance to take a picture of an approach or actual descent line of the things on this list, my near term goals.
Some Chamonix entries will have a numbered reference to the corresponding tour in the Mont Blanc guide book by Anselme Baud. See herefor more info.
Some stuff already done
France - Chamonix:
Col de Berard
Col du Beugeant
Vallee Blanche
Les Courtes NNE Couloir
Col de la Fenetre
Col de la Cicle
Mont Blanc - 3 summits route
Col du Passon
Pas de Chevre
col du Bonhomme
Toule Glacier
Les Grandes Autannes - west face
Les Grand Autannes - NE face
Glacier des Amethystes
Mont Blanc du Tacul
Switzerland (via Chamonix):
Barbey Couloir and the Saleina Glacier
Glacier des Grandes
Italy:
Mont Fortin
Aiguille des Glaciers - SW face
Helbronner - Mont Blanc massif
Switzerland:
Oberalp pass
Grimsel Pass Couloir
Mettli Glacier
Trient Glacier
Austria:
Lermoos area in north Tirol
Near Kuhtai, Tirol
Near Kuhtai, Tirol x 2
Near Kuhtai, Tirol. With powder.
Canada:
A little bit about Kicking Horse
Col de Berard
Col du Beugeant
Vallee Blanche
Les Courtes NNE Couloir
Col de la Fenetre
Col de la Cicle
Mont Blanc - 3 summits route
Col du Passon
Pas de Chevre
col du Bonhomme
Toule Glacier
Les Grandes Autannes - west face
Les Grand Autannes - NE face
Glacier des Amethystes
Mont Blanc du Tacul
Switzerland (via Chamonix):
Barbey Couloir and the Saleina Glacier
Glacier des Grandes
Italy:
Mont Fortin
Aiguille des Glaciers - SW face
Helbronner - Mont Blanc massif
Switzerland:
Oberalp pass
Grimsel Pass Couloir
Mettli Glacier
Trient Glacier
Austria:
Lermoos area in north Tirol
Near Kuhtai, Tirol
Near Kuhtai, Tirol x 2
Near Kuhtai, Tirol. With powder.
Canada:
A little bit about Kicking Horse